my goal is to teach myself to program this summer

what is a good language for beginners looking for maximum functionality

5/22/2007 11:27:57 AM

internets programming or programming programming?

[Edited on May 22, 2007 at 11:33 AM. Reason : labview, perl, refresher on C++, and JSP are next up on my list]

5/22/2007 11:32:17 AM

yeah what are you doing with it

i mean robotics uses a lot of C

5/22/2007 11:34:43 AM

Java

You can never go wrong with learning Java as your first object-oriented language.

5/22/2007 11:35:28 AM

RPG I

5/22/2007 11:49:03 AM

yeah the real question is what do you want to do with this programming knowledge?

and teaching yourself? have you thought about taking a class?

5/22/2007 11:52:57 AM

Seems like a troll type of thread to me.

5/22/2007 11:53:17 AM

I'm not trolling

I will probably want to do web based stuff with it

but mostly I just want to learn something new
my roommate suggested perl or python

^^ love to, but I've got to pay for that

[Edited on May 22, 2007 at 12:00 PM. Reason : -]

5/22/2007 12:00:28 PM

I'd suggest getting a new roommate, that knows what the hell he is talking about.

5/22/2007 12:04:58 PM

html/css/php/javascript will get you the fastest (and probably, for you, the most usable) results

5/22/2007 12:17:50 PM

arent community college classes like $100 or something?

5/22/2007 12:31:45 PM

http://www.w3schools.com/ is free

5/22/2007 12:32:38 PM

+1 html/css/php/javascript I'd throw in ASP.net

5/22/2007 12:35:19 PM

Quote :

"html/css/php/javascript "

All of them are crap when you consider the "maximum functionality" requirement.

Also, Java isn't hard to learn. Heck, I have never ever taken a programming class, except for Smalltalk.

If you're serious about Java, feel free to contact me in private.

5/22/2007 1:00:09 PM

Quote :

"I will probably want to do web based stuff with it"

like what?

5/22/2007 1:10:40 PM

if you end up wanting to learn something that will help you in the business/management world, vba for excel and access is something that is simple and you can pick it up QUICK and is very useful

5/22/2007 1:41:05 PM

Quote :

"maximum functionality"

gargs, you're dumb..."maximum functionality" is subjective and so "all of them" are perfectly usable and reasonable for someone who just wants to do basic (or even moderate) web stuff

get off your high horse and contribute something of value, would you?

5/22/2007 1:42:37 PM

I already did.

In fact it would be far fetched to call "html/css/php/javascript" entire languages, with the exception of PHP, although it's mostly a scripting tool, IMO

[Edited on May 22, 2007 at 1:45 PM. Reason : ..]

5/22/2007 1:44:43 PM

What language will help you with your chess project?



If Web stuff, do the php/html/.../ everyone has mentioned

But I'll agree w/ gargs regarding Java if you don't plan on doing web-related stuff. It gives you good insight on the whole object oriented concept, and is surprisingly easy to switch to another language if needed. I had to do some stuff in C++, and it wasn't too difficult for me to swtich over, although I'm sure I didn't do everything as efficiently as I could have, but at least it compiled

5/22/2007 1:45:48 PM

For me at least, C gave me the best understanding of how computers work, and helped me understand java better.

I would say learn C first, then go on to something more object-oriented, if you want to have a more complete understanding of programming.

If you just want to program, and don't care about optimization or how it works, then pick java or something else.

5/22/2007 1:46:42 PM

Finally, someone with a clue. ^^

Also, I wouldn't discount Java even if you plan "web-stuff", although that's still a vague description (which is why I requested more information). Many of the newer frameworks require absolutely no HTML knowledge to generate amazing portal sites.

Read the Portlets JSR, for example.

[Edited on May 22, 2007 at 1:47 PM. Reason : .]

5/22/2007 1:47:44 PM

Quote :

"html/css/php/javascript will get you the fastest (and probably, for you, the most usable) results"

He said PROGRAMMING languages.

5/22/2007 2:12:59 PM

PHP. Doesn't get much simpler or more practical, and there's a shitload of tutorials online. It's similar to Java/C++(at the basic level you'll be working at anyway) but still plenty powerful and you can show off your work.

You can use this to run a server on your PC to screw around with, or buy some cheap webhosting.
http://www.firepages.com.au/

5/22/2007 2:28:45 PM

fortran

5/22/2007 2:32:30 PM

Why people are suggesting OO languages when that is clearly not what is needed here is beyond me.

5/22/2007 3:35:07 PM

Quote :

"I will probably want to do web based stuff with it"

5/22/2007 4:06:56 PM

Without a lot of background knowledge trying to learn Java is trying to learn Japenese with only a book. Java is a great language to have under your belt but it definitely should not be the first one you learn. The first thing to do is gauge your true interest and level of coding you want to get to.

So you can either take a class at NC State... Intro to Java where they teach you the basics of hard languages (after that web scripting languages are cake), OR you can teach yourself. If that's your goal... continue on.

Throwing someone straight into Java or PHP or ASP without any previous knowledge is stupid. I don't give a shit what anyone else here says. If you don't learn the basics your code will look like shit, perform like shit, be hard to maintain and generally just be bad code. Here's what I suggest, and there is no time frame to complete each one. Think of them as steps up a ladder that you can use without any guidance.

Step 1: Intro to coding. HTML
Start with HTML. That's like Math for first graders in the coding world. It's very easy to pick up and you can use your locker space at NC State to test it.

Use sites like http://www.htmlcodetutorial.com. Do all of their examples and you can consider yourself well versed in HTML.

Step 2: CSS
This is where you learn to seperate the content from the styles. There are thousands of books about this and it's very easy to learn. This will teach you some fundamentals that are used in object oriented programming (Java etc). You won't even realize you're learning them yet... but remember you are learning basics here.

Step 3: PHP and Javascript
While I hate PHP personally, it's free, and it's a VERY good tool to prepare you for learning Java, and C##. It's designed around the same principles and you'll get comfortable coding that way. Again your NC State locker supports the .php extension and this is where you'll start to learn a lot about what languages like PHP can do. It adds a TON of functionality to pages. You'll be able to ask anyone on this forum for help with this including good sites to go to.

Step 4: So you think you're smart eh?

Now's the time for the bigguns. Java, C## and Perl. Perl is a very handy language to have when working with server technologys. I don't know much about any of them except to say I have never had the need for any of them in my seven years of application development EXCEPT when GIS (Graphical Interface Software) was involved. I'm quite sure anyone here can give you some solid guidance when you reach this level of understanding.

Please understand that I'm not insulting the languages, I'm giving you an easier path to learn the languages than just diving into the deep end and trying to learn to swim. Take the path I suggested and you'll develop solid coding skills. It does take longer but you'll have a better grasp of the fundamentals when you reach each new level.

5/22/2007 4:54:40 PM

You said basically everything in nearly the exact fashion I would have said it. I just didn't feel like typing all that shit out for what is probably a troll thread.

5/22/2007 4:56:09 PM

C, and then PERL yay! not

programming is so much a conceptual thing really just learn a basic one like C and really once you understand the general ideas and concepts, different syntaxes are not hard to pick up

5/22/2007 5:16:50 PM

yes, thanks for the official Computer Science adviser answer. Now onto something that will actually help

5/22/2007 5:21:57 PM

unless you're functionally retarded, you can take the lessons you learn from one programming language and apply them to another.

[Edited on May 22, 2007 at 5:50 PM. Reason : sva]

5/22/2007 5:49:58 PM

check the MIT site, they offer free courses for just about all of their curricula

5/22/2007 6:01:40 PM

how far do you expect to go with this hobby?

5/22/2007 6:06:55 PM

i hear LISP is a load of fun

[Edited on May 22, 2007 at 6:43 PM. Reason : but if you don't like that nasty syntax go for COBOL heh]

5/22/2007 6:42:31 PM

this thread has motivated me to learn C#

5/22/2007 6:49:21 PM

asp.net, not too hard with quick results

5/22/2007 6:52:34 PM

http://hacketyhack.net/ , easy peezy

5/23/2007 3:58:04 PM

my other friend (State grad and freelance programmer) recommended Ruby

thanks!

5/23/2007 11:27:25 PM

Quote :

"Without a lot of background knowledge trying to learn Java is trying to learn Japenese with only a book."

the ncsu curriculum tends to disagree with you on this

Quote :

"unless you're functionally retarded, you can take the lessons you learn from one programming language and apply them to another. "

thats the winner, its not about the language, its about being able to apply concepts across the board. choose whatever you want

C, Perl, PHP, Java

would all be fine

5/23/2007 11:30:32 PM

Quote :

"i hear LISP is a load of fun"

I like lisp, but it's completely different from every other programming language, kind of like PROLOG. Probably be better to learn one of the normal java/C/vb kind of stuff

5/24/2007 2:48:35 AM

Learn SAS. It will almost guarantee you a job if you become certified.

5/24/2007 6:54:25 AM